User blog:SsVivid/What I Learned From The Light Within
Warning: this page may contain ''' '''SPOILERS for the quest The Light Within, especially if you enjoy quests for the new lore they contain. proceed cautiously given that knowledge and please be careful of what will show in the recent activity feed when making comments on this blog. About Seren Seren was not pleased that Guthix was going to banish the gods from Gielinor and was spying on him. Seren anticipated the elves being able to reform her, a strategy that may very well have been able to defy the Edicts. However, it was only meant for a time of dire need. Seren has promised to actively stand against Zaros's mission to become an elder god. She believes that the kind of power possessed by an elder god does not belong in the hands of someone with Zaros's ambitions and/or desires. Seren seriously hates Sliske. Seren was largely not involved in the god wars. She was upset by Zamorak's attack on Zaros, but knew Zaros wasn't dead and so let it go. It may be that the powers of dedication and love attached to Seren and Zaros are the broken manifestations of a child's very limited, extreme understandings of those emotions. (That child being Mah.) About Elven Crystal When Seren shattered herself, the elves kept the crystal shards and used them for crafting, especially architecture. Many of them went into constructing Prifddinas. Elf magic can turn an elf to crystal like stone. An elf in this state does not experience life or emotion, but can be restored to life with magic. About Elves on Gielinor Elves have travelled east to research non-elven forms of magic with the blessings of the elf elders. However, those journeys usually proved perilous. Many never returned, some are known to have been murdered. Elven records and resources contain vast banks of information. It even contains data about things like Tariddiad and the world gate. Elves originally ''had lifespans more or less the same as humans. *Eluned and Haluned are Seren's creations, produced from pieces of Seren herself. Elven Technology and Magic Ancient Trahaearn elves once smithed an artefact that was imbued with the power to manipulate time - the enchanted key. It is officially called "the amserdrwys," significant enough that it even caught the attention of gods (Guthix and Seren). It was an icon of the ingenuity elves possess. In other words, mortal magic exists that can manipulate time. However, it's a task that takes an entire team of great magic-workers to perform. It also may be that only incredible feats of specifically elven magic can accomplish this task - no standard magic was mentioned. The functionality of time-magic artifacts like the enchanted key is ambiguous. Characters explain that it can be controlled by focusing the magic on a distinct goal, but the unique mechanics of this magical strategy are not clarified. Elves "have a relationship with time that allows them to slow its effects." Elves are aware of the concept of parallel universes as they exist in quantum physics. They are also aware of their dangers, though perhaps not in specific detail. Elven magic is unlike standard magic. We know that nearly any mortal being can, with enough study and discipline, weild standard runic magic. With elven magic, however, a rare few individuals possess it in far greater power than their usual kin. These "extra powerful" elven mages can perform amazing feats. They created the enchanted key, and they can also form vast crystal structures with voice alone. Elven magic truly can function with only voice, without the aid of standard runes. Great elven magic can directly manipulate nature. Meditative poses hold a magical, ritualistic significance beyond agility training. Either that, or Lady Hefin is just unnecessarily showy. Probably the former. The Elven Clans *Amlodd and Hefin were once known as "the spiritualists." *Crwys and Meilyr were "the naturalists." *Cadarn and Iorwerth were "the military." *Ithell and Trahaern were "the artisans." *All of these bonds, however, are ultimately outdated pairings that no longer really apply in Prifddinas culture. About Tarddiad Tha Physical Area *Tarddiad is (as expected) a world covered in forests full of crystal. The rocks are crystal, the trees are crystal, the plants grow on top of crystal, the conveniently luminescent lamps are crystal, there are even crystal-clear rivers! *The native crystals retained traces of Seren's resonance, the tiniest sliver of her essence. *Tarddian crystals are native crystals that have been magically modified and sung with the Song of Creation. *Seren did not bring crystal to Tarddiad, it is a natural plant-like occurrence on their planet. *Before The Exodus, Tarddiad had many great cities and grand temples. *The ruins of Tarddiad's past are overgrown with forests and full of monsters. The Natives *There is a race of beings living on Tariddiad called "crystalline shapeshifters." They're an insane remnant of the Tarddian elves, twisted mad by hunger. They are as strong as elves on Gielinor and, by default, are wildly aggressive. *All elves left on Tarddiad when Seren moved to Gielinor became crystalline shapeshifters. *As a byproduct of The Sickness, there is no social structure or hierarchy in Tarddiad. *Angof explains that she does not hate Seren for abandoning Tarddiad, only feels a deep sadness for being apart from her. Though this is only one opinion, it seems likely that the sentiment pervades all of Tarddiad's sane inhabitants given Seren's effect on other creatures. *There were benefits to becoming crystalling shapeshifters. Their forms became pliable and limited in shape only by creativity, much like elven crystals found in Gielinor. *The crystalline shapeshifters deeply resent the elves of Gielinor. Or, at least, this is Angof's opinion. One can extrapolate that most of her kin probably share it. The Sickness *The book ''The Exodus talks about something called "The Sickness." Without Seren, there was no cure for this ailment. *The Sickness is the insane heartbreak and loneliness Tarddian elves suffered in the absence of Seren. It led to eventual death and was a side effect of the way Seren tried to extend the lifespan of her elves. She increased their longevity by binding them to her, so separation from her was deadly. *Tarddian elves embedded Tarddian crystals into their bodies in an attempt to ease the pain of being apart from Seren. It was also an attempt to treat The Sickness and, you know, not die. Crystal Addiction *The crystalline shapeshifter called Angof describes crystal addiction. It is contracted by having a Tarddian crystal embedded, and once that happens, symptoms mostly involve the aggressive insanity seen in the shapeshifters around Tarddiad. *Symptoms can be treated by taking a dose of the natural crystals found around the landscape. A dose of natural crystals provides brief lucidity to the shapeshifters' hungry insanity but also ultimately results in craving even greater quantities of crystals. *The addiction is a downside to embedding a Tarddian crystal within one's body and becoming a crystalline shapeshifter. After undergoing the transformation, the crystalline shapeshifters began to crave more crystals. The cravings function exactly like a typical Earthly addiction; consuming some provides a brief fix, then the user craves even more and it continues in a vicoius cycle. *These particular addictive cravings are described as life-consuming and blindingly intense. *tl;dr elves on Tarddiad are ragey crystal meth addicts History *When Seren left for Gielinor, the only elves left behind were those who could not travel and those who couldn't bare to leave home. In the beginning, they survived by gathering together and celebrating togetherness. *Seren's absence was a death sentence of sorts for those who stayed on Tarddiad. *The event when Seren left Tarddiad with the elves was called the "Great Exodus." *Deaths followed the Great Exodus. Many of them were caused from a fatally deep loneliness and impossible, aching yearning. It is described as feeling the death of a loved one amplified by a thousand. "It was agony, torture." *When Seren found Tarddiad, there were nine clans. *On Tarddiad, there were more than just the eight great elven houses we know about. This is evidenced by the journal signed "Hanesydd, Lady of House Cywir." *The Cywir were a clan dedicated to elven traditions. They kept lore of their elders and tended to the shrines dedicated to elven spirits. They could not stand to leave Tarddiad. *There was an elven woman called Ceidwad who was apparently special and celebrated for some reason. About Other Gods *Guthix was aware of Zaros via conversations with Seren, but never encountered him. Guthix also warned against Zaros, concerned by the amount of power it takes to self-resurrect and the price of that power. *According to Seren, Zaros would let worlds burn if it could get him closer to becoming an elder god. If he became one, he would set out to create a perfect universe. *By controlling the anima mundi, the dormant elder gods can also be controlled, at least to some vague extend. Guthix "kept them docile," in Seren's words. *Brassica Prime performs a very useful service, tending to the anima mundi and keeping it healthy and bountiful. *While Seren was shattered, Brassica Prime had long conversations with her shards. He had trouble understanding her broken state and interpreted her silence as deep rapture from their conversation. Miscellaneous All beings of all power and all size are linked by anima mundi. Worlds are like hearts or generators in which anima rests. Beings living in harmony with a world strengthens that world's anima, and by relation strengthens the living beings back. Category:Blog posts Category:What I Learned